Young Couple Think They Bought Cheap Old House until They Enter Its Basement – Story of the Day

The House with a Secret

Kara and Aaron stood in the basement of their new house, a fixer-upper they’d purchased for an unbelievably low price. The room was a chaotic mess—old boxes were stacked haphazardly, and broken furniture lined the walls. Dust coated everything like a forgotten relic of the past.

“Do you ever think the old lady sold us this place so cheaply because she knew we’d end up cleaning all this junk out for her?” Aaron asked, grimacing as he nudged a chewed-up box with his foot.

“Probably.” Kara shrugged. “A bargain’s still a bargain. Besides, some of this might be worth something. That rocking chair could look beautiful if you fix it up.”

Aaron groaned. “First cleaning, then fixing. Let’s turn this dump into our dream home.”

After hours of dusty work, Aaron shoved aside a large box and froze. “Kara, come check this out!”

Behind the box was a small wooden door embedded in the basement wall. It was plain, with a brass handle, and it gave a hollow echo when Aaron tapped on it.

The door was stubborn, but with a hard yank, it finally creaked open. A wave of cold, stale air wafted out. Inside was a dark cavity, and at its center sat a wooden chest shrouded in cobwebs.

“Hello, anyone home?” Aaron joked, peering inside.

“Stop messing around,” Kara chided, switching on her flashlight. The beam illuminated the chest.

Aaron pulled the chest into the basement light. The lid wasn’t locked, but the hinges squealed in protest when he pried it open. Inside, paper-wrapped objects nestled together. Aaron carefully unwrapped one and sighed.

“Granny’s old figurine collection,” he muttered, holding up a porcelain figure.

But Kara’s hands trembled as she took the figurine and turned it over, inspecting the base. Her face paled. “Aaron, we need to see the rest of these,” she said, her voice shaking.

Unwrapping the other figurines revealed names Kara recognized immediately—Meissen, Nymphenburg, Dresden Lace.

“These could be worth hundreds of thousands,” Kara whispered.

Aaron frowned, scrolling on his phone. “I don’t think these belonged to the woman who sold us the house. Something about this feels…wrong.”

Aaron and Kara debated what to do. They agreed on one thing: they couldn’t sell the figurines locally. Packing them into the car, Aaron decided to drive out of state to Pennsylvania.

But as Aaron drove, Kara’s frantic call interrupted him.

“Aaron, someone broke into the house!” she sobbed. “I heard glass breaking and footsteps in the basement. I grabbed your rifle and scared him off, but he was searching right where we found the figurines.”

Aaron’s heart raced as he turned the car around. “Lock the doors and stay upstairs. I’ll be there soon.”

Aaron rushed back and found Kara shaken but unharmed. After holding her tightly, he laid out a difficult question.

“What do you want to do? We could leave the figurines somewhere for them to find, or…”

“Or we keep them,” Kara finished, her lips pressed into a thin line. “They’re ours now. We bought this house, and everything in it.”

Aaron nodded. “Then we have to make sure no...